Therefore, when the Master of Whisperers saw Jon's puzzled look, he didn't explain much. Instead, he simply spread his hands and turned his face inward, clearly signaling Jon to just wait quietly.
Facing the Spider's reaction, Jon could only scratch his head and choose to wait for the time being.
Fortunately, from the moment he left Winterfell, he had stopped worrying about Lady Catelyn.
So even if they had to meet in a moment, even if he was misunderstood by her, Jon felt fearless.
Sure enough, as the quarreling inside suddenly quieted down, the door was pulled open abruptly.
Immediately afterward, Littlefinger walked out. When he saw Jon standing beside Varys, a flash of astonishment flickered across his face for a split second, but it was quickly replaced by composure.
After that, Jon, who knew the root cause of everything, quietly watched Littlefinger act. A thought rose in his heart to expose Littlefinger on the spot.
But without any evidence or source, this would not clarify the facts; instead, it would intensify suspicion and speculation, leading the future down an uncorrectable fork in the road.
In view of this, Jon could only act as a spectator and then choose the appropriate time to invite Ned to come here.
Jon did not participate deeply in what happened next; he simply hid aside after announcing Duke Ned.
After Stark sent Lady Catelyn away, both Jon and the Hand fell into a brief silence.
Duke Ned naturally had his own plans. He had already begun to investigate the cause of Duke Jon Arryn's death, and at the same time, he pointed his target thoroughly at the Lannisters.
After all, no matter who the enemy was, they had already begun to carry out assassinations against Ned's children, which was tantamount to a declaration of war and hostile conduct.
This time it was just against Bran; god knows if the next time it would be directly against Robb.
Therefore, from any angle, the North had to act immediately, rather than doing nothing.
regarding this point, the first thing Ned could think of was the matter mentioned by Lysa Tully.
If it was truly as that woman said, that Duke Jon Arryn died of murder, then what the so-called enemy—the Lannisters—plotted was definitely not just the North, the Vale, and the Riverlands, but all of Westeros.
After thinking of this, Ned, who was obviously not an idiot, naturally knew what he should do. As early as the War of the Usurper, the Wolf, the Fish, the Falcon, and the Stag had formed an indestructible alliance, and it was still impeccable today.
After that, the Hand of the King quickly began to act. Within a day, he summoned the Master of Coin, Petyr, and after that, knocked on Grand Maester Pycelle's door.
Regarding Duke Ned's obviously excessive "diligence," Jon held a completely different view.
At this moment, he was rubbing his chin, unable to stop calculating in his heart.
Compared to the brainless Catelyn, Duke Ned was too rational. Even if Jon could persuade the Warden of the North and make him understand that all this was just Littlefinger's conspiracy, given the other party's character, he would probably choose to investigate and verify before making plans.
As for how the honor-bound Ned would handle it, Jon could only sigh slightly and let fate do with him what it would.
Later, on the way back to the Tower of the Hand, besides a heavy expression, Duke Ned carried an astonishingly large tome in his hands.
Then, they ran into Arya, who was haphazardly practicing swordsmanship. The moment the girl saw her father, she chirped and threw herself at him.
Although most young girls always longed for princes and happiness—just as Sansa was obsessed with this—Arya was the exception.
The massive King's Landing was like a prison made of stacked bricks and stones, making the girl feel at a loss, and the confusion in her eyes was revealed without a doubt.
"Father, I want to go back to the North. This place is simply a hot seven-layered hell!"
Hearing Arya's judgment, not only did Jon feel deep agreement, but even Duke Ned couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
"Child, willfulness has its limits depending on age. Perhaps it is time to choose a fiancé for you. That way you can calm down and learn to become a young lady."
However, hearing Duke Ned's words, Jon rolled his eyes on the side.
After all, he had already overstepped his authority and promised Arya to the Earl of White Harbor; how could he allow such a thing to be exposed?
Moreover, he knew better than anyone that Arya actually didn't like the idea of marrying at all; instead, she longed for adventure like a hero.
Therefore, synthesizing these circumstances, Jon also joined the conversation at the appropriate time.
"Father, since Arya feels she has nothing to do, I think we can find her a swordsmanship teacher first. It won't do any harm, after all."
When discussing this issue, Jon was following Duke Ned up the stairs of the Tower of the Hand.
Suddenly hearing this suggestion, the father and daughter walking in front stopped almost simultaneously, turning to Jon with completely different gazes.
The look Arya cast was full of excitement, while Duke Ned's face didn't have much expression, and of course, he couldn't be called happy.
Although the Hand knew better than anyone that Arya was destined not to become a qualified lady, as a father, Duke Ned still held a shred of hope, wanting to make this little daughter of his less "special."
But before he refused, he also saw the longing in the girl's eyes—it was a despair almost like a bird trapped in a cage.
Therefore, after seeing this scene, the rejection that was originally on the tip of the Warden of the North's tongue turned into doting.
"Since Jon said so, let him handle it for you."
After saying this, Duke Ned didn't linger any longer. Holding the book borrowed from the Grand Maester, he returned to his room.
For the next few days, everything was peaceful, except that the King sent back a handwritten letter from the distant Kingswood.
There was only one instruction on it: "The tourney will be held as scheduled. The King cannot slight his Hand."
So, the thorny problem was placed on the Hand's desk again—how on earth to get the money?
Regarding this problem, the transmigrator was far less worried than the Hand.
Since there were already lice on his head, he didn't fear the itch. Anyway, debts had already been incurred; borrowing a little more wasn't impossible.
In any case, with the Usurper's sudden death, the Baratheon dynasty would go bankrupt, and then there would be no need to pay back the money.
But these advanced predictions were limited to Jon alone, so the pressure fell on Ned, who was bursting with a sense of responsibility.
After thinking hard for a few days, seeing that the tourney was about to open, the Hand of the King had to lower his dignity and began to probe the guy who always coveted his wife.
But the only vanguard he could send out was Jon.
---